A new important step has been taken, Tuesday, 24 January, in the regulations of the “folder Fessenheim” which drags on for nearly five years. At the end of a compromise with the State, the board of directors of Electricité de France (EDF) has voted narrowly – by the casting vote of its president and CEO Jean-Bernard Lévy, the compensation mechanism of the group of electricity and its partners from germany and switzerland to the judgment of the central Upper Rhine. The compensation is expected to be approximately € 450 million by 2021.

The board of directors of EDF account ten-eight members. The government has been working on the body the six independent directors, are the ones most likely to vote for the stop of this station : Mr. Lévy, including the vote in favour was gained ; but Laurence Parisot, the former president of the Medef ; and Bruno Lafont, the former ceo of Lafarge ; Colette Lewiner, an adviser to the chairman of Capgemini ; Philippe Crouzet, chairman of the management board of Vallourec ; and Claire Pedini, deputy general director of Saint-Gobain.

First step towards a closing

Their agreement was needed. The six representatives of the State could not take part in the vote without being accused of conflict of interest. The six directors employees (CGT, CFDT, FO and CFE-CGC), they had announced for weeks that they would take against a decision to the contrary, according to them, the interests of the employees, the business and activity around a power plant that generates 2 200 jobs, half of which in the plant itself, with its 850 employees of EDF and its 250 providers permanent.

In case of a negative vote on Fessenheim, the government threatened EDF not to take two statutory instruments : the first to allow the continuation of the construction of Flamanville ; the second for the restart of the reactor number 2 of the nuclear power plant of Paluel (Seine-Maritime), extended shutdown following the collapse of a steam generator of 450 tons in the reactor building.

The way is now free for the government to take, before the presidential election of April-may 2017, to the decree of repeal of the authorization for the dean of French nuclear reactors. Thus, François Hollande, will he say that he has at least started the process, without having complied with the promise made to its allies in Europe Ecology-The Greens in 2011 to close the plant in the course of his five-year term.

Read also : collapse of the central Fessenheim : a board of directors of EDF decisive